The USS Thunderbolt successfully prevented Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) from taking a U.S. Navy unmanned surface vessel back to base following an hours-long standoff in the Persian Gulf Monday night.
The U.S. patrol ship and a Sea Hawk helicopter approached the IRGC support ship Shahid Baziar as it towed the U.S. Navy Saildrone Explorer, forcing the Iranians to release their prize.
The Daily Mail has more:
The Guard's Shahid Baziar warship attached a line to the Saildrone Explorer in the central part of the Persian Gulf in international waters late Monday night, said Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins, a 5th Fleet spokesman. The ship towed the Saildrone Explorer, which carries cameras, radars and sensors for remotely monitoring the sea, until the USS Thunderbolt, a Navy coastal patrol boat, and a MH-60 Seahawk helicopter began following the ship.
‘Our response was one that as such made clear that this was U.S. government property and was operating in international waters and that we had every intention to take action if necessary,' the commander told The Associated Press.
After a standoff that lasted some four hours, the Iranians unhooked the tow line and abandoned the drone.
‘This incident once again demonstrates Iran´s continued destabilizing, illegal and unprofessional activity in the Middle East,' leader of the military's central command, U.S. Army Gen. Michael ‘Erik' Kurilla, said.
The incident comes at a time of escalating tensions between Iran and the United States. It marks the first time Iran has engaged with the United States Fifth Fleet's drone task force.
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At some point the USA will need to take Iran head on and eliminate their capability to attack anyone !
We should have sunk that theiving ship after getting the drone back ! To Iran we should say FHU-Q !
And yet Biden is willing to let them work toward Nukes again and give them billions more for a “peace” agreement. They are laughing at us.
And so is bidum
Not while bidums watch
Cant we equip drone with self destruct system??
We should , it is known among military folks , that any operation involving ‘looking over the fence’ is a potential disaster for the air , boat or land crews . It used to be that a ‘surrender’ of equipment & personnel to the hostile country does NOT happen & the various crews destroy the equipment & eliminate each other . A person might remember the point this policy may have changed ; when the Navy’s aircraft patrolling the Chinese Sea many years ago ( Carter or Clinton’s term ? ) now , & the aircrew landed under ccp armed escort to their base , the ENTIRE aircraft & the equipment aboard was surrendered . The only ‘blessing’ was the aircrew spent almost no time waiting to be re-patriated . ( And THAT , was weird ! ) This was about the beginning of ;friendly manufacturing rights & trade in china – along with many thefts of US INTEL properties & stolen rights . ” Someone ” gave them OUR INTEL , no answers ever came . We can only hope the surrendered equipment was old & tired junk , and loaded with ‘ trash talk ‘ instead of real intel . Consider the Trojan Horse .